Clashes Intensify in Front of Gaza Tunnels
Gaza Residents Crumble After 3 Weeks of Blockade
As Israel has launched a limited ground operation in the Gaza Strip, it has once again urged Palestinian residents to evacuate, citing an urgent situation. Declaring a 'new phase,' Israel's ultimatum to significantly intensify attacks on Gaza has further worsened the Middle East situation.
According to major foreign media including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 29th (local time), Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a morning briefing, "For two weeks, we have been asking residents in northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily move south," emphasizing, "Moving south is for their personal safety, and this is a very urgent request."
Although Israel's ground operation has begun, it is conducting limited operations and airstrikes instead of a full-scale war. Overnight, Israeli forces increased their troops entering Gaza, escalating clashes between both sides to an extreme level. The Israeli military has made destroying Hamas's underground tunnels, which extend a total length of 480 km within Gaza, its top priority.
In a clash at a tunnel entrance near Israel's southern border with Gaza, the Israeli military killed many Hamas militants. Several mortar shells were exchanged during the incident, and air raid sirens sounded in the nearby Netiv HaAsara area, according to local media outlet The Times of Israel.
The Israeli military conducted airstrikes on 450 locations including Hamas command centers the previous day, eliminating Hamas Air Force chief Issam Abu Rukbeh. He was the figure who commanded Hamas's drone and paragliding attacks, aerial reconnaissance, and air defense operations during the surprise attack on southern Israel on the 7th.
On the 29th (local time), mosques and houses in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
Israel Advances, Iran Warns... Middle East Situation in Turmoil
As Israel expands its ground operations, Iran, identified as backing Hamas, has reacted strongly, plunging the Middle East into a new turmoil. On the same day, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on X, "The red line has been crossed," adding, "This could make everyone take action." He also said, "The United States tells us not to do anything while continuing to provide comprehensive support to Israel," and "The U.S. sent a message to the axis of resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in Tel Aviv the previous night, stating that the war has entered a new phase and predicted, "It will be a long and difficult war." He emphasized that all efforts will be made to rescue more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Responding to criticism that Israeli attacks have endangered civilians in Gaza, Netanyahu retorted, "Those who accuse us of war crimes are hypocrites." When asked if Iran was behind Hamas's attack, he said, "Without Iran's support, Hamas would not exist," but added, "I cannot say in detail that Iran was involved in the attack on the 7th." He further condemned Iran as the "axis of evil" hostile not only to Israel but also to the West.
UN: "Gaza's Situation is Urgent by the Minute... Must Step Back from the Brink"
The international community is deeply concerned about the humanitarian disaster. The White House reported that during a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the need for Israel's protection of its citizens from terrorism to be conducted in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law prioritizing civilian protection.
Biden's mention of civilian protection came amid international concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza, including criticism of Israel from Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni Muslim country, following Israel's partial ground offensive.
The UN also reiterated calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unconditional release of hostages from both Israel and Hamas. During a joint press conference with Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal while visiting Nepal, UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres said, "The situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly desperate as time passes."
Guterres first strongly condemned Hamas again for its horrific attacks, stating, "The killing, injuring, and kidnapping of civilians cannot be justified by anything," and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.
He expressed regret toward Israel for intensifying military operations instead of a humanitarian ceasefire supported by the international community. He emphasized, "The number of civilian casualties is at an unacceptable level," and "All parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law."
Guterres also stressed, "More than two million people with nowhere safe to flee are exposed to continuous bombardment, with access to essential food, water, shelter, and medical services cut off." He urged all responsible parties to step back from the brink in this crisis.
Amid ongoing armed clashes between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, on the 29th (local time), a man in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, is grieving while holding the body of his son who died in an Israeli airstrike. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]
'Gaza Residents Pushed to the Edge' Raid Relief Warehouses
Thomas White, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, expressed concern that "after a relentless three-week blockade, civil order in Gaza, pushed to the extreme, is beginning to collapse." Gaza residents have broken into UN relief warehouses, indiscriminately taking supplies such as flour. Although some relief supplies sent by the international community have entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side, the amount is far from sufficient to meet the needs of over two million residents.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, governed by Hamas, the cumulative death toll in Gaza has surpassed 8,000 as of that day. The Ministry had reported 7,703 cumulative deaths as of the previous morning, indicating a rapid increase in fatalities.
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